Reviews

Sympathy For Lady Vengeance

Do you hear that giant sucking sound? That’s the sound of my lips firmly place on this movies ass and kissing it to no end. Chan-Wook Park has to be one of the most disturbed and visually driven directors around. The man parallels Cronenberg and makes Miike look like a dirty joke. Park’s previous films include the infamous, critically acclaimed, and instant cult classics Oldboy and Sympathy For Mister Vengeance. Park saying he had one more revenge film left in him, hands the audience a work kicking the doors off its hinges and pinning the viewer against the wall.

Lady Vengeance, like the previous films mentioned, sharing similar story points like kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, and revenge but the differences are varied enough to make each feel fresh. Mainly the different ways each story plays out and each story handles the idea of revenge.
The plot is unloaded on the viewer all at once making the meat of the movie the pieces that lead the characters to the beginning then their resolution. Geum-ja goes into prison being called a witch and comes out being called kind hearted. Since this is a movie about vengeance you can count kind hearted Geum-ja is not reformed. No sir, Lady Vengeance has a plan in motion that has been thirteen years in the making.

While park can take a movie with a heavy, dark theme laced with violence, he does it with an artist eye. I would even say Lady Vengeance is more toned down than Oldboy. Even so, this is not a movie for everyone. If things like torture, violence against children, rape, domestic violence and so forth bother you… rent season one of Doogie Howser MD. I have the feeling if you’re reading this website you’ll be able to stomach what this movie dishes out.

The ugliness is all part of the greater picture that asks what is redemption? When does justice go to far? When the vengeance/justice is a personal one, can it go to far? How do various people cope when tragedy changes every aspect of their lives? How far would you go for family. This is a dark, ugly, yet starkly beautiful movie.

I’m glad Park is changing gears with Lady Vengeance being his last revenge movie. The man has too much vision to get stuck in a stylistic rut. If for some reason Chan-wook Park decided to never make another movie again, he would have accomplished more in three similar yet vastly different films.

You must see this movie. Sympathy For Lady Vengeance has a limited run at Baxter Ave. Theater. You can also rent the imported DVD at Wild and Woolly video.
10/10
Andy

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